Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka? Volume 2 Chapter 3

Love, stalkers and other delusions

Inside the fast food restaurant near
the school, there were three people sitting near a window.

A completely boring boy, Kiryuu Keiki.

An ikemen with a soft smile, Akiyama
Shouma.

And a small girl with her hair in a
pigtail, Ootori Koharu.

It was after school. After Shouma’s club activities ended, they met up and entered the restaurant. Shouma, hungry from club activities, ordered a burger set, the girl with the small stomach ordered her usual fries, and Keiki chose a platter of chicken nuggets. Shouma was seated at the window side with Koharu next to him while Keiki was seated across the table. In order to hide her ribbon from Shouma, Koharu had her hoodie zipped all the way up.

“And about the third playoff for the
olympics—”

“It was a heated battle, yes. I was
so moved to see that they took a medal for Japan.”

Their conversations ranged from topics
about tennis, to the stuff that happened at school, to other topics
without major importance.

Is there even any reason for me to
be here…? — thought Keiki as he chewed on a chicken nugget.

The two people across the table were
happily talking without paying him any attention. But Koharu had
asked Keiki to come here with her. Being alone with the boy she loved
all of a sudden was a hurdle that she didn’t seem to be able to
jump yet. Keiki completely understood her feelings, and had accepted.

“Akiyama-senpai, you have some sauce
on your cheek.”

“Eh, really?”

“Stay still for a second.” Koharu
wiped away the sauce with a napkin.

Any male would interpret that action as
a forceful approach. And to Keiki’s surprise, Shouma actually got a
bit embarrassed.

But Keiki, who had been burned yet
again by a Cinderella candidate who turned out a pervert, could only
see this scene the same way as any other girlfriend-less virgin.

Fucking normies should just explode!

“Or rather… They’re completely
forgetting about me, aren’t they?”

Keiki was still happy that they had
managed to get this close in this short amount of time, though. Once
Koharu deems that her love is finally fulfilled, Keiki will be
released from his role as her cupid and gain freedom once more.
However, that hadn’t turned out to be such a simple venture as
Keiki had wished it to be. After all, Akiyama Shouma is a lolicon,
and Ootori Koharu isn’t actually his Kouhai, but rather his Senpai.

That was why they had to take drastic
measures: Hiding the ribbon that indicated her year.

And even now, Koharu’s beloved one
was not aware of the fact that she was older than him.

Part 2:

After classes ended, there were two
figures inside the year 2B classroom.

A completely normal boy: Kiryuu Keiki.

And a rather flashy-clothed
brownish-red-haired classmate of his, who wore her hair in a
sidetail: Nanjou Mao.

What were they doing? While our prince
was sitting on a chair, Mao was making sketches of him.

Once homeroom class had ended, he was
requested to become her model. Keiki for his part was forced to
agree.

As a side note, here is an excerpt from
that conversation:

“Hey, Kiryuu. Do you have some time
after this?”

“I don’t really have anything to do
today, no.”

“I wanted some new material for my
new release, so would you model for me?”

“I absolutely refuse.”

“If you don’t help me, our precious
Keeki might have some strong men assault him.”

“Since that Keeki-kun doesn’t have
any relation to me, I couldn’t care less.”

“Even if I were to share that work
with all our female classmates?”

“Are you a demon?!”

And just like that, Keiki had no other
option but to agree.

Right now, he was alone with a girl
inside this quiet classroom. Normally, situations like these would
have the potential to turn into a sweet page in the story of his
still ongoing adolescence. Instead, he was stuck watching the evil
witch in front of him as she furiously illustrated her BL manga. That
being said, from the outside Mao was still quite the beauty to
behold. Her long eyelashes, her plump-looking lips, her pure white
neck… every time she entered his gaze, he saw her as the opposite
sex.

As Keiki obediently stayed still as a
model, the girl’s hands suddenly came to a stop.

“Are you done?”

“From the front, yeah. Though I’d
really like some variations.”

“Uhm… what should I do?”

“How about you start stripping?”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s no meaning to this if you
don’t strip.”

“Like, the upper half of my body?”

“What are you talking about? —
Completely naked of course.”

“What are YOU saying?!”

“Tch, still no good, huh.”

“Of course. Stripping right here in
this classroom would make me a pervert after all.”

“I guess there’s no helping it.
Then can you turn to the side? I want to draw your profile.”

“……Got it.”

Quite some more time passed in silence
after that.

“……Hey, Nanjou?” Keiki asked.

“What is it?”

“Well, wouldn’t a picture be enough
for this?”

“It would work, yeah, but it looks
better when I draw it in person. And drawing live subjects is also
good practice. It really helps me draw a lot better overall.”

“There’s no limit when it comes to
skill. And it can never hurt to keep the basics fresh.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not like I’m using this as
an excuse to be alone together with you or anything, so please don’t
misunderstand.”

“Who would even begin to have such a
misunderstanding?” Keiki muttered, which earned him a glare from
Mao.

What…?

Being a normal high school boy with no
romantic experience, Keiki didn’t understand girls at all.

“Say, don’t you need Shouma’s
sketches too?”

“Mhmmm, nope. It’s pretty easy to
draw an ikemen like him. Drawing people with a normal face like
Kiryuu is much harder.”

“A normal face…”

“How about being thankful that it’s
not an ugly face?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever
heard a follow-up like that.”

Should you really say all that to
the person who’s being kind enough to model for you…?

“But, regarding BL manga, I’m
actually really grateful for it. Pairing up two ikemen isn’t
interesting at all, and since Keeki is part of the story, it makes
the ikemen Shouto stand out even more.”

“So Keeki-kun’s only reason for
existence is to make Shouto look even better, huh?”

“Did you want to be born as an
ikemen, Kiryuu?”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t have
complained.”

“Really?”

“I’m sure that you don’t
understand the feeling.”

“Why’s that?” Nanjou asked.

“You’re quite the beauty already,
you know?”

“Eh…?”

Everything stopped. Both time and Mao’s
pencil.

With slightly flushed cheeks, she
narrowed her eyes.

“Kiryuu really is an idiot.”

“Eh, why? Is being insulted my reward
for complimenting you?”

Taking a deep breath, Mao returned to
her work. And a certain person didn’t notice that her lips had
started shaking slightly.

“Well, I guess I can draw you a bit
more cool-looking in my next work.”

“Sorry. I can’t bring myself to be
happy about that.”

“But you know, BL isn’t just about
pairing up boys.”

“What brought up that sudden change
of topic?”

Keiki didn’t have the slightest bit
of interest in the intricacies of BL. But seeing how Mao had started
talking again with a happy look on her face, Keiki honestly thought
that she looked cute.

Her face when she talks about
something she likes is really great… though the content of her
story clearly isn’t.

If only this conversation wasn’t
about BL, she would look even more charming. He really didn’t want
to know more about how a deep, passionate kiss between two boys was
the best thing ever for her.

She’s beautiful, she’s a tsundere,
she can be really sweet sometimes, and her smiling face is so cute
it’s actually unfair. But her whole world revolves around BL manga.
It really is a shame. Even a slight imperfection like that can
completely ruin a person’s image, and she was the perfect example
of that.

“So, Kiryuu.”

“Mhm?”

“There’s a girl that Akiyama is
quite close with, right?”

“……”

“I’ll take that silence as a yes.”

“Whatever are you talking about? I
don’t know.”

“There’s no need to lie. I saw it
after all. While you were gleefully eating together in that
restaurant.”

“So you saw that…”

“She’s the perfect girlfriend for a
lolicon. Are they going out?”

Mao had told Keiki that she would try
to obstruct any relationship between him and another girl. If Keiki
went out with a girl, he would spend less time with Shouma, which
would reduce her material for her BL manga. Though that should be the
same if Shouma started going out with a girl, too. Once it got out
that Shouma and Koharu were in item, she might become a hindrance.
And if that were to happen, Keiki would have failed his job as
Koharu’s cupid, and she surely would release that dangerous photo
she had of him and Sayuki. The photo of them being a little too close
with each other. If that made its way online, it would completely
destroy his social life.

Thus, Keiki came to a conclusion: He
had to deceive Mao right here or it would all be over.

“Hmm, I don’t think that they’re
going out. They’re both just happy to have someone else they can
talk to about tennis.”

“Hmmm? ……And what about you?”

“Eh, me?”

“Besides the club president and
Yuika, you’ve been awfully close with the vice president of the
student council lately, haven’t you?”

“……”

“So are you going out with Fujimoto
Ayano?”

“No, I’m not. I really am not.”

Fujimoto Ayano wasn’t Cinderella.
Instead, she was just a person who gets aroused by smells. Keiki
considered his being forced to drink sleeping pills just because she
wanted his underwear to be completely unacceptable. She was only
interested in him because she had gotten aroused by his scent. There
were no romantic feelings involved at all. But Mao must’ve
interpreted Ayano’s closeness to Keiki as them being lovey-dovey.

“Is that so? Well, just as I told you
before, being close with guys is good, but girls aren’t allowed.”

“I know, I know…Though I don’t
know why you have to go that far.”

“Really~? If you say that…”

Mao stood up from her seat, walked over
to Keiki’s side, and sat down once more. Not on a chair but on his
lap. Facing towards him, like she was mounting him. And if that
weren’t enough already, she put her hands around his neck. Suddenly
finding himself in a position like he was glued to Mao, Keiki in his
confusion thought that they must look like a couple.

And, finding himself close enough to
kiss Mao, Keiki gulped.

“U-Uhm… Nanjou-san? What is the
meaning of this?”

“This is all for my data. I want to
see Keeki’s embarrassed expression for when Shouto pushes him into
a corner.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yep. So don’t avert your eyes,
okay?” With these words, Mao leaned in even closer, her face nearly
touching Keiki’s.

Maybe it was her perfume, but a sweet
smell assaulted Keiki’s brain cells. Even though he knew that she
was just acting, his heartbeat wouldn’t slow down. It really looked
like she was going in for a kiss—

“—!”

Keiki gave in and closed his eyes.

“…Hey, I told you not to look
away.”

“Gah?!”

Maybe it was because she was a bit
angry with him, but Mao pinched his nose. When he opened his eyes,
Mao looked amused.

“Fufufu. Did you really think… that
I would kiss you?”

“N-No, that’s not…!”

“Well, I’m glad that you reacted
this way. Yup. That feels just like Keeki. I feel like I can draw a
good manuscript after this.”

“…I’m glad that I could be of
help.”

Hearing Keiki say these words, Mao let
out a cheerful giggle. In the next moment, she packed up her
materials, stuffed her notebook into her bag, and turned around with
an “Alright.”

“Thanks for today, Kiryuu. This is
your reward.”

Blowing him a kiss, she left the
classroom happily. She would probably go straight home and work on
her manuscript.

“…That really surprised me. I
really thought that she was going to kiss me.”

Seeing Mao’s watery eyes and flushed
cheeks had completely robbed Keiki of his ability to think. Her face
had an expression like she really was in love with Keiki.

“Acting like that with a boy she
doesn’t even have any feelings for… Mao sure must love her BL
manga.”

Just how much did she want to get
some new BL material, really…?

Sadly, the boy did not know that the
girl herself was right outside the door, furiously blushing from
reaching her limit.

Part 3:

That day, Keiki and Koharu were
standing in front of the school gate after classes. Today’s agenda
was an after school date. Today was a day when a certain boy had no
tennis club activities. Their goal for today was deepening the
relationship between Koharu and said boy: Shouma.

Being alone with her beloved one would
still be too much of a hurdle for Koharu as of now, which is why they
had decided on a double date. Even so…

“Ootori-senpai, are you nervous?”

“W-Would you believe me if I said I
wasn’t?”

“Not at all, no. Even your voice is
shaking slightly. Relax, relax.”

While they were waiting, the third
person arrived: A black-haired female student. The ribbon on her
uniform indicated her year. Blue, to be precise, which meant that she
was third-year. Every step the girl took, her long black hair and big
breasts shook. The big-breasted girl’s name was Tokihara Sayuki.
She was the club president of the calligraphy club, and many people
saw her as a beautiful Onee-san.

“Did I made you wait?”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

The reason that Keiki had invited
Sayuki was simple: Her big breasts.

If Keiki had invited Yuika, the lolicon
(Shouma) might’ve stared at her tiny breasts. Big breasts are the
natural enemy of a lolicon.

“I’m really happy that you invited
me. I haven’t been on a date with Keiki-kun since we went to that
cafe.”

“Hey, sorry for being late. Cleaning
duty took a bit longer than expected.”

“We didn’t wait at all,
Akiyama-senpai.”

Hearing that phrase, Sayuki tilted her
head.

“Akiyama-senpai…? Eh, but,
Ootori-san is a third— Mguh?!” Keiki quickly covered her mouth
before she could speak the forbidden words.

Though he was a bit taken aback by the
softness of her lips, he couldn’t allow her to speak any further.

“What’s wrong, Keiki?” Shouma
asked.

“Nothing! Sayuki-senpai was about to
say some stupid joke so I stopped her beforehand!”

“Is that so? You two really are
close.”

Keiki easily deceived him. The only
thing Shouma was lacking in life was a straightforward friend.

“Now then, since that’s all of us,
let’s get going.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Shouma and Koharu started walking
through the school gate, and Keiki and Sayuki followed suit, but a
bit slower. Keiki still had his hand over Sayuki’s mouth, and her
cheeks were slightly flushed. When he was certain that they were far
enough away that Shouma couldn’t hear him, he let go of her.

“To suddenly silence a girl like
this… how rude. But that’s what makes Keiki so wonderful. Would
you become my master?”

“I refuse.”

She still was the same masochistic
pervert as always. It seems like she actually enjoyed that.

“But still, why does Ootori-san call
Akiyama-kun ‘Senpai?’”

“There are some extenuating
circumstances. She became a first-year for this occasion.”

“I really don’t get it, but…”

He explained the situation to her in a
quiet voice, including Shouma’s lolicon tendencies and their plan
to hook him up with Koharu anyway.

“So basically, Akiyama-kun thinks
that Ootori-san is his Kouhai. She’s trying to hide the fact that
she’s older than him because Akiyama-kun is a lolicon. That makes
sense, yes.”

“That’s how it is.”

“Understood. I’ll keep quiet in
front of Akiyama-kun. Though I would like some Thai yakiniku as my
payment.”

“Thank you for your patronage.”

Grilled meat barbecue was a small price
to pay in order to protect a maiden in love.

“And now I understand why you invited
me and not Koga-san.”

“Sorry for using you, Sayuki-senpai……
You’re not angry, are you?”

“I’m the type of girl who gets
happy when you’re using me like this. It’s more of a reward for
me.”

“Right.”

“But what about Nanjou-san? Couldn’t
you have invited her instead?”

“Well, Nanjou might’ve been even
more dangerous than Yuika in a sense.”

After all, she would try her best to
drive a nail between Shouma and Koharu. But that probably would
happen soon enough anyway, Keiki imagined. It was only a matter of
time. And that wasn’t the only problem. Koharu probably wouldn’t
be able to keep her age a secret from Shouma for much longer.

“That’s why I’m trying to bring
them together as close as possible before that secret comes out.”

If he managed to do that, Shouma might
reconsider his stance on legal lolis and accept Koharu. The hope is
that he would be close enough not to reject her like he had rejected
every other girl who had confessed to him. And today’s date was the
most important part of Keiki’s plan.

The place the four of them were walking
towards to was a bowling alley near the train station.

“Hey, Keiki-kun.”

“What is it, Sayuki-senpai?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you
this before, but this is my first time bowling.”

“What a shocking confession. Have you
really never bowled before?”

“I don’t mean to brag, but I’m
really not athletic at all. To be honest, I really hate sports.
Whenever any girls in my class invite me to play, I always make up
some excuse.”

“Whoah…”

Bad at cleaning, bad at sports… even
Sayuki has some weak points it seems. Though that all gets blown away
when she’s seriously working on her calligraphy.

“Huh? But why did you accept my
invite today of all times?”

“That’s… uhm, Keiki-kun invited
me after all…”

“Eh? Does that mean—”

Seeing Sayuki look up at him with
expectant eyes, Keiki couldn’t help but anticipate some kind of
lovey-dovey response.

After everyone arrived at the bowling
alley, they each borrowed a pair of shoes, selected a bowling ball,
and prepared for the round to start. Keiki and Sayuki paired up on
one side of the bowling lane, with Shouma and Koharu paired up and
sat across from them. As the game started, Sayuki proposed a
competition.

“Playing normally wouldn’t be too
much fun, so how we punish the person who gets last place?”

“I think that sounds like fun, but is
it alright with you? Sayuki-senpai, this is your first time playing,
right?”

“It’s fine. As long as I win,
everything is fine.”

“This person… she’s just raising
flags on her own…”

“Yep, it seems like the end result is
already written in stone.”

Seeing Sayuki’s groundless
self-confidence, the boys nodded to each other.

“Fufu, I wonder about that. It’s
true that I’m a complete nut when it comes to sports, but this time
there’s also Ootori-san to consider!”

“Eh, me?”

“Ootori-san can’t possibly be good
at bowling. Can you even hold a bowling ball with that body of
yours?”

“There’s no need to worry. There
are some light ones too.”

Though she looked like a child, she was
acting like an adult, and wasn’t responding to Sayuki’s obvious
provocation. Noticing that, Keiki wondered if they really were the
same age.

“Sayuki-senpai, what will be the
punishment, then?”

“How about the person in first place
has the right to write anything on the face of the person in last
place? An embarrassing nickname or something. And removing it on the
way home is not allowed.”

“That sounds like a pain…”

“And in addition, the person in first
place has the right to give the person in third place an order.”

“Isn’t that worse than being in
last place?”

Keiki’s body shivered for a second,
imagining the outcome if Sayuki happened to get first place.

“I’m fine with it, but what about
Koharu-chan?”

“It sounds interesting, so I’m in.”

“It seems like it’s decided then.”

With that, everyone agreed to the
punishment game and the bowling game started, but with an
unpredictable development.

“Another strike! You’re amazing,
Koharu-chan!”

“Really, you’re awesome,
Ootori-san.”

“This can’t be happening…”

To everyone’s surprise, Koharu was in
first place right now.

“My father likes to bowl, so I’ve
often gone bowling with my family.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

“How could this happen…?”

Being confronted with this unexpected
obstacle, Sayuki’s face completely tensed up. Even though Keiki had
taught her the basics, her non-existent athletic skills shone through
and it was becoming increasingly impossible for her to avert the
upcoming punishment.

“…But just as you’d expect from
Shouma. He doesn’t show any interest at all in Sayuki-senpai’s
breasts.”

Everytime she threw the bowling ball,
her breasts swayed furiously. It was like they had their own
gravitational pull, and no normal adolescent boy would be able to
avert his eyes. However, Shouma only kept his eyes on Koharu.

“That reminds me, Koharu-chan.”

“Yes?”

“You said that you were weak to sunlight, right? Aren’t you getting hot in your hoodie in here?”

“?!”

Even though Shouma said so with no
ill-intent at all, Koharu started panicking, while Keiki couldn’t
think of anything to say. Though from Shouma’s perspective, it was
a reasonable enough question. In this dire situation, Koharu came up
with an excuse.

“Uhm, well, i-it’s embarrassing
since my breasts are so tiny……”

“Guha?!” Hearing Koharu’s reply,
Shouma let out a scream as if he was shot in the chest.

In the next moment, Shouma looked like
a buddhist who had reached enlightenment.

“Did you hear that, Keiki? Koharu’s
cutesy phrase.”

“I did, I did. Everyone has their own
problems, so let’s leave it alone for now.”

Not only did she dispel the dire
situation, she also increased her affection points with Shouma.
Ootori Koharu—what a dangerous woman.

“…Akiyama-kun really is a pervert
through and through.”

“He still wouldn’t lose to
Sayuki-senpai though.”

Even a lolicon would lose against a
hardcore masochistic woman who wishes to be owned by a master.

“Though I didn’t expect Shouma to
be worse than me.”

“Actually, I was always pretty bad at
bowling, you see.”

“Do you want me to teach you a thing
or two?”

“Really? Then I’ll gladly accept.”

And just like that, Koharu started
teaching Shouma.

Ooh, that’s a nice atmosphere
they’ve got there.

It looked like they were getting even
closer.

“………Hmm?”

Though in that moment, Keiki thought he
saw a small glimmer coming from Koharu’s bag. As he looked closer,
he saw a small camera with the lens taken off, but Keiki pretended
like he didn’t notice.

“That’s gotta be a video she’s
taking…”

Keiki was once more reminded of
Koharu’s real nature. Even now, he couldn’t forget the
creeped-out feeling he had when he first saw the interior of the
astronomy club room.

“Is it really okay for this love to
bear fruit…?” The cupid muttered as he watched the two of them
laughing together.

And he felt the weight of his sin. He
had sold out his friend to a stalker girl just because of one photo
that could completely demolish his social life.

Well, it’s not like Ootori-senpai
is a bad girl or anything, she just comes on too strong…

And like that, the game ended. Unlike
what everyone had expected, Koharu was at the top of the leaderboard,
and Sayuki was at rock bottom.

“And third place is Shouma, then.”

“Yeah. Well, it makes sense.”

Though Koharu had taught him a trick or
two, it was still impossible to improve enough in one day to beat
Keiki. The person in last place gets something written on her head,
while the person in third place has to obey an order from the person
in first place.

“Now then, winner Koharu, your order
for Shouma, if you will.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Please don’t make it hurt too
much, Koharu-chan.”

“There is no need to hold back. A
harsh demand from a loser is the best.”

“Now now, Sayuki-senpai. People in
last place should keep quiet.”

The tiny, hoodie-wearing girl made fists with her hands, mustering up her courage to give out the order.

“Uhm, from now on, can I call
Akiyama-senpai… Shouma-kun…?”

“Guhaaaa?!” The ikemen once more
got shot in the chest by that cute order.

It seems like that phrase coming out
from a loli had too much impact on the lolicon.

“……Keiki,” Shouma said.

“What?”

“I think I can die peacefully now.”

“Then die for all I care.”

And just like that, it was decided that
Koharu would start calling Shouma ‘Shouma-kun’. Since they had
gotten quite a bit closer, Keiki decided to call this double date a
success.

As a side note, Koharu wrote ‘My
breasts are too big’ on Sayuki’s cheek as punishment. This was
probably even more embarrassing than a nickname, especially because a
lot of people would see her on the way back. Though Keiki thought
that she deserved it, he received a email from Sayuki on the way
home.

‘On the way home, everyone looked at
me with erotic eyes. It was the best.’

“This isn’t even punishment
anymore…”

Indeed, this was just another reward
for this masochistic female molester.

Part 4:

After classes, Keiki was called to the
‘horror house.’ It was the place where both the walls and even
the ceiling were covered in photos of Akiyama Shouma. Namely, it was
the astronomy clubroom.

“Aren’t there even more photos than
before…?” Keiki muttered as he entered the room.

“That’s your imagination,”
answered Koharu with a smile.

“I’m pretty sure that they’ve
gone up in number…”

It seemed like Koharu’s ‘Akiyama
collection’ was going to grow even more.

“Aren’t the other club members
against all of this?”

“All the other members are ghost
members. And the advisor is too laid back to even bother coming
here.”

“Ah, so nobody is here to stop it, I
see…”

Koharu could do as she pleased with
that room. Deciding to set that aside for now, Keiki sat down at the
table, facing Koharu.

“Ootori-senpai, what are you doing
with that video camera?”

“I’m looking at the video I took at
the bowling center.”

“Ah, so you really were filming
that…”

“This is the first time I’ve been
able to take a video so up-close with Shouma-kun. I watched it on
loop all night long.”

“I’m glad that you’re living your
life to the fullest.”

“Getting closer to Shouma-kun…
Being able to record his voice from up close like this… It feels
like I always have him by my side, even when I’m at home. It’s
even become a routine for me to listen to his voice every time I go
to bed.”

“You’d better make sure that Shouma
never hears anything of this.”

That would probably destroy everything
they had built up until now. Even if she looks like a maiden in love,
she still is a stalker deep inside.

“So, did something good happen,
Senpai?”

“Ehehe, is it that obvious?”

“After all, you look really happy
right now.”

“Actually… Shouma-kun invited me to
go out with him on the next day we have no school.”

“Ohh, now that’s good news.”

Definite forward progress. Keiki the
cupid was very happy to hear this news.

“Lately, we’ve been exchanging
emails in the evening, and talking with each other on the phone.”

“…I’m happy to hear that.”

They sounded even more like a couple
right now. Shouma had also started calling Koharu ‘Koharu-chan’.
It seemed like Koharu was really giving it her best even without
having Keiki around. At this rate, she might not even need his
support anymore.

“………”

As he started to feel lonely for some
reason, Keiki once more looked around the astronomy club room. The
curtains were open, and the early-summer sunlight entered the room.
The light danced across the surface of the room’s large telescope
and binoculars. Several different types of cameras lay on a table
next to the wall outside the sunlight’s reach.

“That’s a crazy number of cameras.
Do they all belong to the astronomy club?”

“No, most of them belong to me.”

“They belong to you… aren’t they
pretty expensive?”

“There’s no need to worry. It may
not look like it, but I’m the daughter of a company president.”

“Eh? The daughter of a company
president?”

“Are you familiar with Ootori
Construction?”

“I guess I have seen some
commercials, yes…”

Her way of eating fast food looked very
noble, and her movements looked very refined, but Keiki didn’t
expect her to be from such an important family.

“Even though you’re so tiny,
Ootori-senpai really has a lot going for her.”

“I don’t feel like that’s a
compliment…”

Though she looked aggravated for a
moment, her lips loosened into a lovable smile.

“Kiryuu-kun, thank you.”

“Eh?”

“Since Shouma-kun’s a lolicon, I
never would’ve been able to get closer to him if I didn’t hide my
ribbon,” She softly touched the ribbon on her chest. “It’s all
thanks to Kiryuu-kun. Being this close to my loved one has made me
more happy than I could have ever dreamed.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Keiki
scratched his cheek.

“I didn’t really do anything… I
did only help you so that you would delete that photo.”

“Ah, that photo. I deleted that the
day you promised to help me.”

“Eh? W-Why?”

“I thought that Kiryuu-kun seemed
like the kind of person who would keep his promises. After all,
you’re Shouma-kun’s dear friend.”

So Koharu had trusted Keiki from the
very beginning. Hearing that, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside
his chest.

“But I won’t rely on Kiryuu-kun
anymore.”

“Senpai?”

“I have prepared myself. Today, I’m
wearing pink underwear.”

“Pink underwear?”

“It’s a popular good luck charm
with women. When they wear pink underwear on the day they want to
confess to the boy they love, it will bring them success.”

“Oh, I never knew such a charm
existed.”

That was the first time Keiki had ever
heard of that, but he knew that girls had a lot of these
superstitions.

Ootori Koharu had made up her mind. Now
there was only one thing that Keiki could do.

“Give it your best, please. I’m
cheering for you, Koharu-senpai.”

“………Yes, I’ll do my best.”

He could only see her off, hoping that
her feelings would reach Shouma.

After waiting until Shouma’s tennis
practice was over, Koharu started the operation.

“Oh, Koharu-chan?”

“Shouma-kun. Can we walk home
together?”

Having no explicit reason to decline,
the both of them started walking home next to each other. Koharu, who
had made up her mind to confess to the boy, had slightly flushed
cheeks and continuously glanced at Shouma. Having no idea what would
happen, the boy just continued to talk with Koharu about whatever
came to mind. And there was one person who followed them, watching
this adolescent scene with his own eyes.

“Somehow, I feel like a stalker now…”
muttered Kiryuu Keiki in astonishment. “Koharu-senpai said that she
would be fine, but I’m still kind of worried…”

Without being aware of the cupid
following them, the two of them continued to walk. The street they
walked on was just like any other, and it was illuminated by the
slowly setting sun. They passed traffic lights as they walked, with
seemingly a bubble around them deflecting the people passing them by.
The scenery started to change the more they kept walking. And after
about 10 minutes had passed since they left school…

In an alley with trees on both sides,
Koharu stopped.

“Koharu-chan? What’s wrong?”
Shouma asked as he turned around. He received no answer.

Under the green trees with sunlight
slightly shining through, the girl simply gazed at the boy.

“Do you remember? One year ago,
Shouma-kun and I met at exactly this place.”

“Eh?”

“That day, Shouma-kun got me back my hat that blew away in the wind,” Saying that, she slowly pulled down the zipper of her hoodie.

And along with her white blouse, the
ribbon became visible. The moment her blonde ribbon came in sight,
the magic that was cast on the girl vanished. Standing there was the
girl who was one year older than her loved one. The third-year
highschool student Ootori Koharu.

“Koharu-chan, that ribbon…”

“I’m sorry for lying to you. But I
wanted to get closer to you no matter what.”

At the place where they had met for the
very first time, Koharu turned her feelings into words.

Those were the feelings she had kept
deep inside her heart, for this whole year. Barely being able to hold
them back, she could finally let it all out. She finally built up her
courage to confess. Her confession gave off so much force that even
Keiki felt the impact.

But— the moment he saw Shouma’s
face, he knew what was going to follow.

“…Sorry, Koharu-chan. I’m a
lolicon after all…”

Those were the words he had said every
time he turned down a confession.

“I can’t go out with you.”

After that, Shouma, who had been left
alone, didn’t go home, but instead walked to a nearby park. After
sitting down on a deserted bench, he didn’t move at all. The
setting sun was slowly swallowed up in darkness, and the sky
gradually grew darker and darker in hue.

Hearing the sound of approaching
footsteps, he lifted up his head.

“Hey, ladykiller. How’s it feel
after turning down a cute girl like her?”

“Keiki… so you were watching.”

“Yeah. Actually, I was
Koharu-senpai’s cupid all this time.”

“…I see, now I understand,”
Shouma let out a small laugh, but didn’t get angry.

That was the emotion that Keiki was
feeling right now: Anger.

“Koharu-senpai was crying…”

After being rejected, Koharu started
crying. As she turned around and ran away, even Keiki was able to
tell from a distance. Just how much she was hurt, just how much pain
she felt in that moment. Remembering that sight, the depths of
Keiki’s chest were burning.

“Do you know how serious
Koharu-senpai was with that confession? Every time she met you, she
was crazy nervous. She could never even bring up the nerve to talk
with you over this whole year. And now… now that she finally
mustered up her courage, you turn her down because ‘You’re a
lolicon’?! Did you really think I could just go home after watching
that farce?!”

Keiki knew just how happy Koharu was
about their first two-person photo together. Just how serious she was
about Shouma. As her cupid, he was the closest person to her
feelings.

“Falling in love with someone…
going out with someone… I believe that Shouma is free to decide all
of that. But shooting a girl down just because she’s a year older
than you is just—”

So unbelievably cruel towards that tiny
Senpai.

“…Keiki really is kind.”

“Shouma?”

“I remember meeting her, in that
alley.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I thought that she was really
cute, which is why I went there countless times after that.”

“That probably made you look really
suspicious…”

“But in the end, I never met her
again.”

Thinking about it, it made sense. After
falling for Shouma, she was unable to hold back her feelings and
turned into a stalker, always acting in such a way that he would
never see her.

“I never realized that that girl was
actually Koharu-chan. Her hair was much shorter than now, you know.”

Only with a small change in hair
length, girls can look completely different. How ironic that he had
missed her this whole year because of something like that.

“Shouma, why is it that a girl being
older than you is no good?”

“…Yeah, I never told you, right?”

Keiki sat down next to Shouma, while
still glaring straight at him.

“You know that I have two older
sisters, right?”

“Yeah, Asahi-san and Yuuhi-san.
They’re at university, if I remember correctly.”

When Keiki had gone over to play at
Shouma’s house, he often met them. Though they both had different
personalities, it was plain as day that the two of them were both
beautiful sisters.

“Those two are the reason that I
turned into a lolicon.”

“What do you mean?”

“They both are serious brocons. And
not just in the normal meaning.”

“The normal meaning…?”

“There was this particular incident,
see? When I was in my first year of middle school, I went to take a
bath, and when I entered the bathroom, the two of them were there
waiting for me.”

“Eh…”

“That day was the 14th of February,
so Valentine’s day. They both decorated their bodies with chocolate
and said ‘Go ahead and eat me.’ This resulted in me collapsing.”

“Uwa… that’s harsh.”

That must’ve been tough on Shouma’s
psyche.

“But wait, Mizuha wouldn’t be so
bad, I guess?”

For a second, Keiki imagined a scene
with a chocolate-decorated Mizuha, saying “Eat me?”

“Isn’t that a reward?”

“Let’s set your siscon tendencies
aside for now. Anyways, they often teased me with stuff like that.
Before I realized it, I noticed myself trying to keep my distance
from older women. So much so that I turned into a lolicon.”

“Okay, I understand why you turned
into a lolicon.”

His sisters had traumatized him.

“I have no problem when it’s with
friends, like that time with Tokihara-senpai. But, when it comes to
actual relationships, it gets difficult. See that girl who just
walked by? She’s almost done with her teen growth spurt, and when
she’s in high school, I probably wouldn’t even look at her
anymore.”

“That’s gotta be the worst
coming-out ever…”

The ikemen was still, regrettably, a
lolicon. He still is insisting that girls in their growth spurt, or
with nothing at all, are the best. Maybe being a lolicon is an
incurable disease. He’ll turn any girl down if she is younger than
him but is well-developed. He’ll turn any girl down if she looks
like a loli but is older than him.

“But why are you making such a face,
Shouma?”

“Eh? What kind of face am I making?”

“To put it in Mizuha’s words, you
look like a lost child.”

“A lost child… That might be true.
I mean, when I saw Koharu-chan crying, my chest hurt. This is the
first time I’ve ever felt like that when turning a girl down.”

He probably felt that Koharu was
different from any other girl who had confessed to him as of yet.

“You had fun, right? When
Koharu-senpai was with you.”

“…Yeah.”

“And that’s because it’s
Koharu-chan. Not because she looks like a loli.”

“………I know.” His voice was
filled with regret.

But his next words were even more
shocking.

“I know… that I can’t keep going
like this.”

He looked down at the ground, and it
seemed like he had made up his mind. He was properly thinking of
himself and the person in front of him, his expression filled with
determination.

Part 5:

The next day after school. The
astronomy room was once more wrapped in an artificial night, just
like the first time Keiki had entered the room. The only thing that
illuminated the room was the phone screen that Koharu was looking at,
and it showed her first photo together with Shouma.

“Koharu-senpai, you really were
here.”

“Kiryuu-kun…”

“Please answer your phone calls. I
was really worried.”

“…I’m sorry,” Tightly grasping
the smartphone to her chest, she once more said “I’m sorry.”

“Even though Kiryuu-kun was cheering
me on, I was still rejected.”

“I saw from the shadows.
Koharu-senpai really gave it her all. I think that Shouma is the one
at fault here.”

“T-That’s not…”

“Don’t you think that his reasoning
is just ridiculous? He can’t go out with you since you’re older?
What’s up with that?”

“That… might be true,” As she
recalled the scene, she nodded as she looked like she was about to
cry.

In response, Keiki softly patted his
Senpai’s head.

“That guy might be a bit
good-looking, but his personality is the worst. He always says stuff
like ‘I don’t have any interest in them if they’re not small.’”

“Well, I really wish he had some
delicacy when it came to that…”

“Right? How can he just go and say
‘I’m a lolicon after all’ to every girl who musters up all the
courage she has? Isn’t that too cruel?”

“I-I think so! That really hurt me!”
The little girl screamed out.

With that, the two of them continued to
badmouth Akiyama.

“I really don’t get him, that
Shouma! Even older women have a certain charm!”

“Right! I think that an older woman
makes an even better wife!”

“Right! And normal boys would do
anything to get spoiled by an older woman!”

“I don’t see why it has to be a
girl younger than him!”

“The girl’s gotta have big breasts,
after all!”

“No, even small breasts have their
own charm!”

“And what exactly does he mean by
‘lolicon’? Liking young, small girls is totally an out!”

“Yes! Being an actual lolicon is a
crime I think!”

The two of them continued their heated
discussion. And just at that moment…

“…Uhm, can you stop already?
Anything further and it will definitely leave permanent damage. It
feels like my heart’s about to break from that crime talk.”

“S-Shouma-kun?!”

With a hand on his chest, the person in
question entered the room. Realizing that, Koharu hurriedly stood up
and started panicking.

“U-Uhm, I-I was just lost in the
moment… I didn’t mean to badmouth Shouma-kun at all, I just had
to vent some stress from yesterday…!”

“Koharu-senpai, your facade is
breaking.”

“Ah, am I done for?!”

While Koharu was panicking, the ikemen
stepped forward. He softly took her hand, which left her in complete
speechless confusion.

“During the time I spent with
Koharu-chan, I had so much fun.”

“Eh?”

“I really thought that I might be
fine if it’s Koharu-chan… but I might need some rehabilitation
for that. That’s why I would like to ask Koharu-chan for help.”

“So, basically…?”

“Basically, uhm… can we start as
friends?”

It’s true that Koharu had entered
Shouma’s heart, but he wasn’t able to immediately overcome his
lolicon nature, which is why he decided to slowly grow accustomed to
it.

This was the first time the young boy
had ever reacted like this after a confession. It was something like
a confession of his own.

But the girl in front of him only
looked at him with cold eyes.

“That’s a phrase that a lot of
rom-com protagonists use, though…”

“Eh?”

“So basically, without going out with
me, but without clearly rejecting me, you’re just keeping me warm
for when you need me? That really is the worst.”

“Guha?!”

“Shouma-kun is the worst.”

“The worst… I’m the worst…”

Seeing the scene unfold, Keiki couldn’t
hold back a snicker.

“Don’t laugh at me… Keiki.”

“Sorry, it just happened.”

And Koharu also started smiling.

“Fufu, I was only joking. Since you
said crazy things like ‘I’m a lolicon after all,’ you’ll have
to endure it if I tease you a little bit.”

“Uu… you’re right. I’m really
sorry about that.”

Hurting, apologizing, forgiving, and
starting from zero—

To answer the boys confession, the girl
looked straight at her loved one.

“I’m happy to just be next to
Shouma-kun. Let’s start as friends.”

“…Yeah. I’m looking forward to
it, Koharu-chan.”

Though it turned out a bit different
from what the cupid had hoped for, this clearly wasn’t the worst
result.

“Good for you, Koharu-chan.”

“Yes…!” She let out a bright
smile.

Girls really are the cutest when
they smile.

“But why is it so dark in here? Let’s
open up the curtains.”

“Ah, yeah…… Hmm? Ah?!”

All brain cells were screaming danger
inside Keiki’s head.

“Wait a second, Shouma!”

But Keiki was just a bit too late to
reach Shouma. The sunlight entered the room, and the ikemen squinted
against it.

However, in the next moment, the boy’s
expression froze.

“………Eh?”

What he now saw were countless photos
of him, pinned on the walls and the ceiling. The Akiyama collection
that Koharu had produced over the course of the last year.

Please think about this.

What kind of reaction would the boy
have?

Would he be happy and scream out “So
this girl likes me this much! I’ll love her too!” ?

No, the normal reaction would be
“Scary?! What the hell is this?!”

And of course, Akiyama Shouma was no
exception.

Looking at this mass of photos of him,
he was at a loss for words. The cupid for his part felt the same. In
addition, the cupid was assaulted with a feeling of despair. The calm
atmosphere that the room had just moments before took a 180, and
suddenly the room felt weighed down by gravity like a funeral.

“D-Did Koharu-chan take all these
pictures?”

“Y-Yes, I took every single one of
them!” She sounded like she wanted to be praised.

In response, her target’s eyes looked
even more dead inside.

“Maybe going out with a girl older
than me really is impossible…”

“Yeah, you might be right…”

Even Keiki understood that this was
completely unacceptable. No matter how cute she might be, her being
such a pervert was too much to handle for Shouma. The stalker girl’s
feelings were so heavy that even the ace of the tennis club couldn’t
return them.